Chiefs’ film room: How KC kept Witten in check

Even at the ripe old age of 31, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is still causing problems for NFL defenses. He's a big target, at 6 feet 6 and 261 pounds, and he still has the hands and quickness to be a menace, as the Giants found out when he racked up eight catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener.

Even at the ripe old age of 31, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is still causing problems for NFL defenses. He's a big target, at 6 feet 6 and 261 pounds, and he still has the hands and quickness to be a menace, as the Giants found out when he racked up eight catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener.

So like many, I was eager to see how the Chiefs would match up with the big tight end on Sunday. Before the game, I asked defensive coordinator Bob Sutton what makes Witten ― who now has 817 career receptions, second all-time amongst tight ends ― so difficult to stop.

“Well you can match up with him and do that,” Sutton said. “The problem is when you get into any other stuff, you try to double a guy like (Jason) Witten, there’s somebody who’s left free on the outside.”

“Like most of the good teams, you can’t just go in and do one thing or they’re going to carve you up and do that,” Sutton added. “You just have to mix it up, mix up man and zone. You have to try to get your hands on him a little bit, but more than anything, I think, you just need to change up what’s happening out there so the quarterback’s not comfortable, Witten’s not comfortable.”

After watching the all-22 film of the Chiefs' 17-16 win over the Cowboys, I feel comfortable saying the Chiefs adequately hit on all those points while holding Witten to only three catches and 13 yards. Chiefs' safety Eric Berry certainly played a large role in that effort. Indeed, the two were matched up often; by my count, Berry lined up across from Witten 20 times Sunday, although at varying depths. Check out the photo below, for instance: